


Ain't No Lie

by Maeve_of_Winter



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Mutual Pining, Teen Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-10-27 06:11:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17761310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maeve_of_Winter/pseuds/Maeve_of_Winter
Summary: After months of eyeing up the sheriff's kid but refusing to make a move for the sake of self-preservation, Joaquin finally gives into temptation on Valentine's Day.





	Ain't No Lie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bloodredcherries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodredcherries/gifts).



It wasn’t like Joaquin started going to Riverdale High and fell for the sheriff’s kid straight away. He’d actually been eyeing him up for a while.

Joaquin had always known what he looked like. All the Serpents did so they could be sure to steer clear of him to avoid tangling with his father.

Except that now that the new school year had started with no Southside High and the Serpents instead attending Riverdale High, Joaquin found that he could no longer steer clear of the sheriff’s kid all that easily. And he didn’t really want to.

Kevin. That was his name. Kevin Keller. Sounded like something out of a soap opera, but Joaquin liked the sound of it, too. And damn, did he ever like the look of that kid. When he’d first noticed Kevin, he’d been a little bit short, a little bit chubby, while still being really cute. But now he’d grown up; lean muscle had replaced his baby fat and he had a pair of long legs that went on for days and matched his tight ass. Didn’t hurt that now he’d finally started wearing clothes that fit him. Instead of those bulky sweaters, it was all slim-fitting jeans and high-cut shirts that showcased his arms and made it hard not for Joaquin perv on him whenever he had the chance. Forget just being cute, the kid was an outright looker, and damn if Joaquin didn’t like to look.

His attention to the Keller kid didn’t go unnoticed by his fellow Serpents, though.

“Don’t,” Sweet Pea warned him once when they were clustered together in the student lounge. 

Toni was checking one of Sweet Pea’s papers, Fangs was looking over a list of school clubs (he actually wanted to _ join _ some, the weirdo), and Joaquin, well, had been checking out Kevin. Again.

He managed to tear his eyes away to look at his old friend. “What?”

Sweet Pea scoffed at him and then tossed a pointed look in Kevin’s direction. “You know what. It’s obvious you’ve got it bad for Keller’s kid. But you can’t. Not unless you want to make a whole bunch of trouble for both yourself and the rest of us.”

“I know that,” Joaquin told him, very aware of the edge in his voice. “And don’t worry. I’m not gonna.”

What Sweet Pea said was true, and Joaquin knew it. He’d thought about it himself a bunch of times. He was one of the Serpents, and Kevin’s dad was the sheriff. No way could they ever date without things getting really complicated.

But keeping away from Kevin and trying not to speak to him was hard. It wasn’t bad when they’d gone to different high schools, but now, knowing that Kevin was always in the vicinity, Joaquin had to fight not to constantly be thinking about him, constantly searching for him in the hals just to get another glimpse of him before his next class. And it certainly didn’t help that Toni, Fangs, Sweet Pea, and himself were supposed to be keeping an eye on Jughead for FP, and Jughead was friends with Kevin. So even if Joaquin didn’t necessarily want to be, he was always finding himself nearby Kevin. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad, but Kevin was a friendly person, it seemed, and he took Joaquin’s frequent presence as a sign that they actually were friends, which it all the harder to try to resist him.

“Want some?” Kevin asked whenever he brought in cookies to share with his friends (and really, who actually did that?) when they were on their breaks in the student lounge. And Joaquin accepted, because those cookies were homemade and really damn good.

“We should walk out together,” he suggested to Joaquin one day when there was torrential downpour and they both found themselves about to walk out into the parking lot. Kevin was the only one of them with an umbrella. “My truck is really close to your bike.”

And then Joaquin had to cope with standing right next to Kevin as they walked out of the school building and into the rainstorm together. It was pure hell being stuck so close to him and being so tempted to reach out and touch him, and he just barely managed to make it through without giving into his impulses and telling (or showing) him how he felt.

Not to mention that Kevin was one of those kids who who was always involved in a bunch of clubs and sports. Before, Joaquin had always thought those kids were losers. But whenever Kevin walked up to their little group and personally handed Joaquin some flyer or another, all the while wearing this smile that made Joaquin feel like the most important person in the world, Joaquin suddenly found himself becoming very, very impressed with all of Kevin’s extracurriculars.

It should have annoyed him, really. That Kevin was so cheerful, so helpful, so damn preppy. But God help him, Joaquin found it sweet, and that alone was something he never expected to think.

After only a few weeks of suffering in silence, Joaquin decided enough was enough, Serpent and sheriff’s kid or not. He couldn’t keep nursing this crush forever, and even if Kevin rejected him, at least he had an answer and didn’t always have to be stuck wondering if he felt the same way.

Still, Joaquin decided to make his move on Valentine’s Day, a time when any kind of unsolicited romantic gesture could be put down to temporary insanity due to the holiday buzz. He came to school with a large heart-shaped box of chocolates, the most expensive kind he could find at the drugstore. While he’d debated buying something more personal, he also didn’t want to weird Kevin out by coming across as some sort of obsessive freak, and he’d decided that the chocolates were the safe option.

Unwilling to have to brood over rejection the entire school day, Joaquin waited until the final bell had rung and classes were over for the day before approaching Kevin at his locker. For a moment, he simply stood there, plotting his next move as he watched Kevin shove his various AP textbooks into his Adidas backpack, but then, gathering up his nerve, he walked over to him.

“Hey,” Joaquin said casually, sauntering up. “Heading home?”

Kevin nodded. “No wrestling practice for the day. We just finished a huge meet, and Coach wants us to take some time to rest.”

“Huh. Okay.” Joaquin nodded, too nervous to truly be interested in the conversation, and, trying to steel himself, lifted up his hand, showing Kevin the box of chocolates. “Uh, these are for you. If you want them, you know.”

Kevin froze, looking genuinely stunned. “You’re—you’re really giving me a Valentine?”

“Yeah,” Joaquin said, making his best effort to keep his voice casual. Attempting to keep it cool, he searched Kevin’s face to determine if he was flattered or disgusted by the offer. “Thought that since you’re single, you might be okay with getting one from me.” He was impressed by how even he managed to make his voice when his pulse was rushing through his veins.

“ ‘Okay’?” Kevin repeated, a smile breaking out on his face. “I’m more than okay with it.” He shook his head, laughing slightly. “I’ve been flirting with you for weeks! I was beginning to give up hope that you were interested in me.”

“I—what?” Joaquin’s brain felt like it had just short-circuited. “You’ve been flirting with me? I thought you were just being nice.”

“I was being nice,” Kevin said sincerely. “But I was also trying to get a sense of if you wanted anything to do with me, because of, you know, my family.” He gave a brief shrug. “I was hopeful, since you never outright rejected me, but you also never did anything in return, so I figured you maybe didn’t feel like making the effort.”

“I  _ definitely _ feel like making the effort,” Joaquin declared, his heart pumping, excitement flowing through him. He could barely believe his luck. “In fact, why don’t I take you out to Pop’s right now?”

Kevin grinned at him, and God, Joaquin loved how that smile lit up his whole face.

“I’d really like that,” Kevin replied happily. “You’ve got to let me foot the bill, though. It’s only fair, since you got me the candy.” He held up the box of chocolates. 

“Fair is fair,” Joaquin agreed, enormously grateful that he’d taken the risk of buying those chocolates in the first place.

Kevin closed his locker and turned to him, still smiling. “Ready?”

“I was born ready,” Joaquin informed him confidently, and a thrill ran through him as Kevin laughed.

They set out walking to the parking lot together, and, deciding if he’d tried his luck once already and won that he might as well try it again, Joaquin put an arm around Kevin’s shoulders. And when Kevin just leaned in closer to him instead of pulling away, Joaquin might as well have been walking on air.


End file.
